Recharge coupling efficiency for patient posture state

• US 8,700,174 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Skelton, Dennis M., Davis, Jon P., Sahasrabudhe, Rajeev M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaetzle, Kennedy
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ERICA SHENGKAI
• Application Number:
  US13/016,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 607/60, 607/61
• US Class Current: 607/61
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

In general, the disclosure relates to implantable medical devices including rechargeable power sources. In one example, the disclosure relates to a device including a rechargeable power source, a recharge module configured to recharge the rechargeable power source via inductive energy transfer, a posture state sensor configured to generate posture sensor data; and a processor. The processor may be configured to determine recharge coupling efficiency during a recharge session, receive posture sensor data generated by the posture sensor during the recharge session, and associate the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session;

receiving posture sensor data generated by a posture sensor during the recharge session; and

associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data, wherein at least one of the determining, receiving, and associating is performed via at least one processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more posture states of a patient during the recharge session based on the posture sensor data,

wherein determining recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session comprises determining recharge coupling efficiency during each of the one or more posture states of the patient, and

wherein associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data comprises associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined for each of the one or more posture states with the respective posture states.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a total time occupied for each of the one or more posture states determined during the recharge session.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying, via a user interface of an external device, an indicator indicating at least one of the total time occupied for each of the one or more posture states and the recharge coupling efficiency during each of the one or more posture states.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting one or more variations in the received posture sensor data during the recharge session based on a comparison to a threshold value,

wherein determining recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session comprises determining recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device during the recharge session based at least on the detection of the one or more variations in the received posture sensor data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the posture sensor comprises a multiple-axis accelerometer sensor, wherein the posture sensor data includes at least one of signal output values for respective axes or a magnitude vector determined based on signal output values from respective axes generated by the posture sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a posture state of the patient based on the posture sensor data; and

delivering therapy to the patient via the implantable medical device based on the determined posture state of the patient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the therapy comprises electrical stimulation therapy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recharge session comprises a first recharge session, and the posture sensor data comprises first posture sensor data, the method further comprising:

determining recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device during a second recharge session;

receiving second posture sensor data generated by the posture sensor during the second recharge session;

associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the second recharge session with the second posture sensor data; and

combining the recharge coupling efficiency and second posture sensor data from the second recharge session with the recharge coupling efficiency and first posture sensor data from the first recharge session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data comprises associating, on a temporal basis, the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a posture state occupied by the patient at a time during the recharge session based on the posture sensor data,

wherein determining recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device during a recharge session comprises determining recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device at the time during the recharge session, and

wherein associating, on the temporal basis, the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data comprises associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined at the time during the recharge session with the patient state occupied by the patient at the time during the recharge session.

12. A system comprising:

a rechargeable power source of an implantable medical device;

a recharge module configured to recharge the rechargeable power source via inductive energy transfer;

a posture sensor configured to generate posture sensor data; and

at least one processor configured to determine recharge coupling efficiency during a recharge session, receive posture sensor data generated by the posture sensor during the recharge session, and associate the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one processor is configured to determine one or more posture states of a patient during the recharge session based on the posture sensor data,

wherein at least one processor determines recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session by at least determining recharge coupling efficiency during each of the one or more posture states of the patient, and

wherein at least one processor associates the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data by at least associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined for each of the one or more posture states with the respective posture states.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one processor is configured to determine a total time occupied for each of the one or more posture states determined during the recharge session.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user interface of an external device, wherein at least one processor is configured to generate an indicator indicating at least one of the total time occupied for each of the one or more posture states and the recharge coupling efficiency during each of the one or more posture states, and display the indicator via the user interface.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one processor is configured to detect one or more variations in the received posture sensor data during the recharge session based on a comparison to a threshold value,

wherein at least one processor determines the recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session by at least determining recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device during the recharge session based at least on the detection of the one or more variations in the received posture sensor data.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the posture sensor comprises a multiple-axis accelerometer sensor, wherein the posture sensor data includes at least one of signal output values for respective axes or a magnitude vector determined based on signal output values from respective axes generated by the posture sensor.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one processor is configured to determine a posture state of the patient based on the posture sensor data, and control delivery of therapy to the patient by the implantable medical device based on the determined posture state of the patient.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the therapy comprises electrical stimulation therapy.

20. The system of claim 12,

wherein the recharge session comprises a first recharge session, and the posture sensor data comprises first posture sensor data,

wherein at least one processor is configured to determine recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device during a second recharge session, receive second posture sensor data generated by the posture sensor during the second recharge session, associate the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the second recharge session with the second posture sensor data, and combine the recharge coupling efficiency and second posture sensor data from the second recharge session with the recharge coupling efficiency and first posture sensor data from the first recharge session.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to associate, on a temporal basis, the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a posture state occupied by the patient at a time during the recharge session based on the posture sensor data, determine the recharge coupling efficiency for the implantable medical device at the time during the recharge session, and associate the recharge coupling efficiency determined at the time during the recharge session with the patient state occupied by the patient at the time during the recharge session.

23. A system comprising:

means for determining recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session;

means for receiving posture sensor data generated by a posture sensor during the recharge session; and

means for associating the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to cause one or more processors to:

determine recharge coupling efficiency for an implantable medical device during a recharge session;

receive posture sensor data generated by a posture sensor during the recharge session; and

associate the recharge coupling efficiency determined during the recharge session with the posture sensor data.